


Nice day for a white wedding

by Pegship



Category: Castle
Genre: Attempted Murder, F/M, Speculation, Spoilers, Weddings, s06e23 For Better or Worse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-01-24 21:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1617434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pegship/pseuds/Pegship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything looked fine until Castle caught sight of the unmarked black SUV in his rear view mirror. Until Kate's anxious pacing was interrupted by a phone call that took her to the site where his car lay in flames down an embankment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my imagining of what might have happened next, completely unprompted by anything official and entirely my fault and fancy.

For a wild second, Kate felt an overpowering urge to fling herself into the inferno that engulfed the car. It was not so much suicidal as furious, a need to extinguish emotions too enormous to bear. As usual, lucidity won out and she just stood and stared, taking it all in. The flames. The smoke. The smell of melting plastic and chemicals.

Wait a minute. She sniffed the air.

"Ms. Beckett - "

Her eyes focused more clearly on the details, as though this were - well, it was a crime scene, not just an accident, she was sure of it - as though it were _her_ crime scene. There was someone at her elbow, wisely not taking hold of it, talking at her. Brady, Hamptons police chief.

"Chief Brady - " She turned to face him. "There's no body. He's not there."

"Detective, please," Brady urged. "I'm so very sorry - please, step away. You don't have to watch this - "

"Has anyone searched the area?" Kate demanded.

"For - what?" The chief's voice had a familiarly wary tone to it; he'd dealt with her - and Castle's! - methods before.

"Footprints," she said immediately. "Signs of a struggle. Something he might have dropped. Anything to tell us whether he left the scene on his own, or was taken away."

"Detective," said Brady again. "We have no reason to believe that Mr. Castle will be found anywhere except in that vehicle. I know you must feel terrible, but - "

"What about the smell?" Kate said.

"The smell?"

"Yeah, there's a distinct smell when a body burns." She swallowed hard, forcing herself to put mental distance between her conflicting thoughts. "I don't smell it. I don't think there's a body in the car."

"He might have been thrown out - but then we'd have found him nearby," Brady said, thoughtful now. "At any rate, we can't search the car until the fire's out. Here's the truck."

He strode off to meet the firefighters and Kate sidled out of the way, staying where she could see the wreck.

He could be anywhere by then, Kate said to herself. If he was taken... She started looking for skid marks, tire treads, things she knew the Hamptons police wouldn't think to check for, walking in expanding circles. Trying not to feel the looming emptiness beside her where he would have been. Should be.

Instead, it was the chauffeur who politely cleared his throat as he drifted into earshot.

"Madam," he said. "Your phone."

"What about it?" Kate said, her eyes still sweeping the ground. She had to change - the dress was impossible to hold out of the way - and the shoes weren't cutting it either - 

"Perhaps you should answer it, ma'am."

Kate paused to look up; the man was holding out her phone, which she must have left in the car. It was blinking, vibrating, and chiming, and when she took it she could see the caller's number, but she didn't recognize it.

Cautiously, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Kate Beckett?" said a man's voice. Vaguely familiar - older, with a Brooklyn twang.

"Who's this?"

"An old friend," the man chuckled. "We broke bread once, that time the murder went down. The linguini was delicious."

"Vinnie? Vinnie Cardano?"

"The one and only, at your service."

It was the mobster she and Castle had cultivated over pasta on her first visit to the Hamptons. The man Castle had not-subtly-enough hinted at being a suspect in a murder. They'd seen him from a distance occasionally since then and kept out of his way.

The sound of his voice made her blood run cold.

"What's the occasion, Mr. Cardano?" She sat on the edge of the backseat with the car door open.

"Cagy, aren't you? Occupational hazard, I suppose. I want to wish you all the best on your happy day."

Struggling to keep her voice even, Kate replied, "What do you know about my day?"

"I know it's been rudely interrupted. I got something here might help you get it back on track."

"Something - " She ground her teeth. Was Cardano involved? Was this the mob's revenge for her and Castle giving up Mickey Barbozza? "What kind of something?"

"No, no, you know it don't work like that. You know where I live? Can you get here without anybody following you?"

"Why should I?"

"Just do it." The call was ended. Kate stared at the phone for a full minute, her mind racing, then stood up and asked the chauffeur, "If I ask you to take me somewhere and ask no questions, will you do it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said after only a moment's hesitation. Kate gathered herself and her dress into the car and the man closed her door and got behind the wheel. She directed him to a crossroads a couple of miles from the crash site and he got out to open her door again.

"Thank you," she said, shaking his hand, but then she had to ask. "You don't know me, don't know why I asked you to bring me here. Why'd you do it?"

The driver said, almost bashfully, "You have a - compelling manner about you, Ms. Beckett. And I have no doubt that, had I declined to drive you, you would have gone on foot."

Kate gave him a smile. He'd read her right.

"Shall I wait here for you, ma'am?"

"Thanks, but no," she told him. "Perhaps you could go back to - the house. In case anyone there needs the car."

She was thinking of Martha, of Alexis - surely the Hamptons police would be there by now, they wouldn't miss Kate for a while. They'd assume she was still at the scene, maybe in shock.

Not hiking down a long drive to the house of Vinnie Cardano.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate took off her dressy heels and walked on the grassy shoulder of the single-lane road. Between her phone, the shoes, and trying not to trip on her dress, she didn't progress as quickly as she'd have liked. But it gave her time to think.

Cardano must have either evidence or information about what happened on the road. He'd called so soon after the supposed time of the crash - was he involved in the cause, somehow? Was this a ransom demand? No, the mob didn't deal with ransom; they didn't need the money. Were they trying to warn someone off something? A case, a clue, a lead? Was threatening Castle - or herself - a message?

She knew she might be walking into a trap - she always assumed as much - but if Vinnie Cardano knew anything at all about what happened, she was happy to oblige.

A house came into view; she recognized it as that of the late, unlamented Randall Franklin, who had staggered into Castle's back yard and expired in the swimming pool. There was an elegant sign in front advertising the property for sale; she wondered how long that had been up.

Vinnie lived next door - there were only four houses on this road - so Kate hung back for a minute, scoping out the territory as best as she could. Then she figured it wasn't important; that Vinnie would have some decent security in place, cameras, sensors, whatever - even a retired mobster had to watch his back.

She put her shoes back on, went up to the front door and knocked.

"Who's there?" said a voice from somewhere above the door. There was a speaker and a tiny camera mounted there, peeking coyly from among the well-trimmed ivy.

"The runaway bride," she snapped. "Vinnie said to come to his house. He didn't say I'd get hassled when I got here."

"All right, all right, keep your girdle on."

The man who answered the door was younger than Vinnie, but nearly as beefy and almost as tall as Castle.

"Won't you come in," he stated, looking skeptical.

Kate swept through the entrance like she owned the place; the gown lent an air of dignity to her otherwise sweaty, bedraggled state. Her eyes took in every corner, every doorway, every staircase and window as her guide led her to a well-appointed game room, complete with pool table and entertainment center. There were no windows, but there was another doorway across the room.

Vinnie was sitting in an armchair, and he rose to greet her.

"Well, if it isn't the finest of New York's finest," he smirked, reaching to take her hand. Kate snatched it back and put her hands on her hips.

"Mr. Cardano - "

"Vinnie. Please."

"You said you had something that might be useful to me," she said bluntly. "If you're going to make a production of telling me about it, I have to tell you, I don't have one single gram of patience left. So let's get to the point, shall we? Or I need to go back to investigating my fiance's disappearance."

Her voice caught on the word 'fiance', but only slightly. Vinnie had gone over to the bar and poured a glass of wine, which he now came to put in her hand.

"You like red, right? I remember," he said in a more placating tone. "Sit down, will ya? You look beat."

Kate took a swig of the wine, which was really too good to swig, but she needed it. She gave Vinnie a glare and remained standing. She had gone from panic to desperation to steely resolve in the course of the afternoon, and she'd landed in the middle of angry. Surely the man knew a woman enraged when he saw one.

He did.

"All right, already," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Sue me for trying to be nice."

To her surprise, he didn't sit down or start monologuing about whatever he had or knew. He backed away and ducked into whatever room was connected on the other side. Kate put down the glass and prepared for whatever was going to come back out.

What came into the room was a tall, dark, ruggedly handsome, somewhat battered character, his eyes meeting hers with a joy that overwhelmed the darkness that had haunted her since that fateful phone call.

"Rick," she tried to say.

Then he was on her, yanking her hard against him and wrapping his arms around her, more tightly than she'd ever felt. He smelled like oil and dirt, sweat, blood - blood?

"Rick - are you all right?"

"I am now," he mumbled into her hair.

"No, I mean, are you hurt? My God, what happened?" She wanted to look him over for injury, but she didn't want to let go of any part of him, so she poured words into his ear and shook in his embrace.

"Hurt, but not badly," he told her. "Tried to tidy up some - but I think I might need stitches here and there. You're not losing me any time soon."

That was the last straw. Kate burst into tears, finally able to let go, and dimly she was aware of Castle moving to sit on the sofa with her on his lap.

"Here," she heard Vinnie say. "She was drinking this, you want some?"

"I'd better not," said Castle wearily. "I don't want any hint of alcohol about me when I make my statement."

"Statement?" Vinnie said, sitting in his armchair once more. "What statement? Ricky, somebody just tried to kill you. You gotta lay low until you figure this out."

Castle shook his head as Kate lifted hers from his shoulder. "Not my style, Vinnie," he said. "Or hers, either." He handed Kate a handkerchief which had apparently survived his ordeal intact.

"Start at the beginning," she said. "You called me, said you were twenty minutes away."

"There was a black SUV behind me," he said. "Thought it was just some annoyed tourist. Then it pulled up beside me - and that's a two-lane road, remember - not trying to pass, keeping pace with me. Their windows were tinted, really dark, I couldn't even tell how many people were in it.

"It didn't look friendly to me - "

"Ya think?" Vinnie snorted.

" - especially once the SUV started swerving all over the road and I was trying to dodge it, or hit the brakes, but they crowded me onto the shoulder twice. I remember thinking, what did I do to piss anyone off?

"It looked like they wanted me to go off the road without them having to ram the car, so I made it hard for them - next time they swerved over I pushed back - "

"Idiot," Kate muttered.

"So there should be damage to their SUV," Castle pointed out. "Front right-hand side. And paint scratches on my car."

"What's left of it."

"What?" Castle frowned. "What happened to it?"

"It was on fire, Castle. The police think you were in it when it went up."

"It wasn't when I left the scene," said Castle. "Wait, they think I'm dead?"

Suddenly he set Kate down on the sofa and stood up, running his hands distractedly through his hair.

"Mother," he said. "Alexis."

Silently Kate handed him her phone.

"Devil's advocate here," piped up their host, who seemed to be entertained by the drama unfolding in his den. "If ever you wanted to disappear, fake your death, this is your chance, pal."

"Again, not my style," said Castle. "Whatever happens, I'm not gonna lie to those two."

He took Kate's phone and made a call, which was obviously answered in record time. Kate could hear Martha on the other end.

"Katherine, where are you? What's going on? The chauffeur came back, he said he left - "

"Mother, it's me."

There was a strangled kind of sob, then: "Richard? What happened? Are you all right? We thought you were - you had - "

"There was an accident, the car's totaled. But I'm all right, more or less."

"Where are you?"

Castle glanced up at Vinnie and said, "That doesn't matter right now. Kate's with me, and we're going to come back to the house - get there as soon as we can."

"I'll send the car - "

"No, don't, Mother. Are the guests still there?"

"Of course they are, we were all waiting to hear what had happened. When Katherine didn't come back - well, we assumed - "

Her voice trailed off and another took its place; apparently Alexis had taken the phone.

"Dad, are you okay? Where are you? Where's Kate?"

"We're on our way to the house," said Castle succinctly. "When the police get there, tell them I'll give them a report - after our ceremony."

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Alexis asked anxiously.

Kate caught his eye and he smiled.

"Absolutely. Don't let the judge get away. We are getting married today, come hell or high water. Oh, and sweetheart - my tux is ruined - would you raid my closet for something suitable to change into?"

"On it," said his daughter. "Here's Gram."

"Richard, what should I tell the guests? Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"

"Tell 'em we're sorry for the delay. Break out the food and drink - that'll stall 'em for a bit."

He ended the call and stood, holding Kate's hand.

"Vinnie, thanks again," he said. "I owe you. But - can we borrow a car?"

"Are you kidding me?" Vinnie stood as well, scowling at Castle. "I don't want mine to end up in a ditch like yours. I'll have Tony drive you. Also, I think me and Johnny will come along after you, just to be sure nobody tries that trick again."

"That's generous of you," Kate began.

"Not really," said Vinnie. "I haven't been to a good wedding in years, and I know anything Castle throws is worth crashing. If you'll excuse the expression."


	3. Chapter 3

They sat in the back seat of Vinnie's nondescript sedan, watching the familiar landscape roll by through the deeply tinted windows. Castle was holding onto Kate's hand, and her gaze moved restlessly from his face to the back of the driver's head, out the window, back to Castle.

"We still don't know who tried to run me off the road, or why," he said. "I could be painting a target on my back, showing up for everyone to see like this."

"Wouldn't be the first time," said Kate. "Remember the Russian poker game?"

"I remember the outfit you were wearing when you came to rescue me," he replied, smirking.

"Good times." Kate grinned, only briefly. "Wait - are you saying that whoever was driving the SUV was on their way to the wedding?"

"Can't rule it out," Castle said. "Was anyone watching the way in, when you were there?"

"I don't know - I was waiting with Lanie and Martha and Alexis until I got that phone call, and then I just pelted out of the house and grabbed the limo driver."

"I can just imagine." He turned to look at her and there was that familiar sparkle, in his eyes, his smile. Kate leaned in to kiss him and he slipped an arm around her, pulling her against him and bending into the kiss - only to be interrupted by the bland tones of their current driver.

"Hey. Lovebirds. Break it up, we're here."

Tony pulled the car into the drive in front of the house, where two familiar figures flanked the front door. There were signs of people milling about, but no one tried to approach Castle and Kate as he handed her out of the car and came up the walk.

"Bad luck, Castle," said Ryan, shaking his head. "Seeing the bride before the wedding."

"Forget that; you're a hot mess, bro. What the hell happened?" Esposito demanded.

"Long story," said Castle. "Wedding first, story after. How long have you guys been on guard?"

"Since Beckett took off," Espo replied. "Gates and L.T. are on the back door. Can't account for anyone who might have wandered up from the lawn or the beach, though."

"Did you notice anyone just before I left?" Kate asked. "In a black SUV, maybe?"

"We were watching for Castle's car," said Ryan, shaking his head. "And by the way, where is it? And why do you look like you've been - wait - "

"Later," said Kate, pulling herself back to the event at hand. "Come on, Castle, let's find you some clothes. Espo, you're with us, he's going to need some first aid."

She led the way upstairs, never letting go of Castle's hand, even when Martha came flying down the hallway with Alexis on her heels. The two women swooped in to hug Kate and Castle in turn; Martha was exclaiming over the wreck of his tuxedo while Alexis tugged his other hand.

"Come on, Dad, I have your suit, in here."

Rick kissed his mother on the cheek and told her, "Go stall for time," and when she grinned and took off, he and Kate went into one of the guest bedrooms while Alexis took Esposito to find a first aid kit.

With the door shut behind them, Kate turned to put her arms around Rick, pressing her cheek against his dirty white dress shirt.

"I don't want to let you go," she muttered. "Don't want you out of my sight."

"I know," he agreed fervently. "Can I make you a counter offer? Help me get out of these clothes."

"Aren't you supposed to say that *after* the wedding?" she smirked, but she started unfastening his clothes as he toed off his shoes and sat down on the bed.

Esposito came in just as Castle's trousers came off.

"Whoa," said Espo, seeing the state of Castle's right leg. There was a long gash along the right calf, from ankle to knee, and a lot of caked blood and dirt.

Kate backed off and sat nearby as Esposito got out his supplies.

"What happened?" he asked, starting to clean the wound.

"I think I caught my pants on something sharp, trying to get out of the car," Castle reported through clenched teeth. "Obviously not just my pants. I used my tie to try to slow the blood loss, but hell, I had to use the leg, so I don't know how much good it did."

"Gonna need stitches, bro. Why didn't you wait for assistance?"

Castle exchanged a look with Kate and said, "I had no reason to believe assistance would be forthcoming in time."

"In time?" Espo caught their look, but went on working. 

"My car was run off the road," Castle told him in a low voice. "Only a couple people know that, so keep it under your hat for now, okay?"

Esposito was shaking his head. "Man, I can't wait to hear that story. You sure you can spare the time to get married? We should start looking for suspects..."

Kate was about to snap at her friend when she saw the sly look on his face and stuck her tongue out at him instead.

"You're lucky I left my gun at the precinct," she growled.

"You're lucky I didn't," Esposito replied.

"Wait, what? You brought a piece to our wedding?" Castle stared.

"Not so's anybody could see. Unless they were looking for it."

"What about Ryan?" asked Kate, oddly pleased.

"He wouldn't - said it was bad luck - but I think Gates is packing."

Castle looked at Kate and said, "Is it just me, or do our friends really think we're always in trouble?"

She laughed. "I'm just glad somebody has our back."

"And your leg," said Esposito, wrapping a last layer of gauze over the wound. "What else did you damage in your escape?"

"My tux," Castle grimaced. "Other than this, just scrapes and bruises."

"Well, I wouldn't walk too much on that," Espo advised, nodding at his handiwork. "Elevate it when you can, and see a real doctor, for crying out loud. Like I said, you're gonna need stitches."

"Thanks, Javi," Kate said and went over to hug him. He departed with a flourish and Castle got to his feet with a pained groan.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" said Kate.

"Gotta get the worst of the dirt off me," he replied. "No time to shower, especially with this leg - but I think a wet washcloth would help."

Kate followed him into the bathroom and leaned on the doorjamb while he washed his face, hands, and arms and combed his hair. Her own dress was only slightly dirty around the hem; the real damage was to her makeup and hair, which looked like she'd been riding in a convertible.

"Kate," called a familiar voice from the bedroom. "Where the - Well, excuse me, am I interrupting something?"

It was Lanie with a makeup case and comb. She made a show of ogling Castle as he stood in his boxers and dress shirt and not much else.

"Please don't tell me he's going to marry you in that getup," she said to Kate.

"I just wanted her approval on the lingerie," Castle grinned.

"More than I need to know," said Lanie. "Come here, you, let me fix your face and hair."

"I'm not letting him out of my sight," Kate protested.

"Fine. You done, Castle? Okay, go put your suit on - it's in the bedroom - try to stay where she can see you, okay? Okay. Now you - " - to Kate - "sit on the counter and let me work."

There were several minutes of quiet, punctuated only by Castle's muttering while easing his pants on over his injured leg, and Kate giving Lanie an extremely brief account of how he'd been injured and delayed.

"Well, you're gorgeous even without my help," Lanie said at last. "Come on, girlfriend, let's go get you married."

Kate stepped out of the bathroom to see Castle standing in front of the full-length mirror, straightening his tie, Alexis smoothing the lines of his jacket. They both saw Kate in the mirror and smiled.

"Not bad, huh?" said Rick.

"Where's Esposito?" said Kate. She knew that if she got sentimental now she'd start crying and ruin her makeup again.

"He's waiting outside the door," said Alexis while her dad laughed. "Of all the contingency plans we managed to bring off, I never thought one would need an armed guard."

"You're amazing," Kate said to her. "All of you."


	4. Chapter 4

Alexis hugged Kate quickly and then led Rick from the room. 

"Have you seen my dad?" Kate asked, just as Jim Beckett came through the doorway.

"Detective Ryan gave me the thirty-second rundown - pun not intended," he said. "I figured you had a good reason to run off, Katie, but this - "

He shook his head, but Kate smiled.

"This could only happen on our wedding day, Dad," she said. "And it's not going to stop me, or Castle."

"I'd be shocked if it did," said Jim. "Still, please tell me some of your police friends are keeping their eyes peeled."

"Oh, you bet."

Kate took his arm and went out in the hall, taking her bouquet from Lanie, but Jim stopped her before they could start down the stairs.

"Katie, if your mother were here, she'd have something perfect to say to you," he told her. "I can only say that when she and I were married, I knew I was the luckiest guy on earth. And today, I know that Richard Castle is the luckiest guy on earth."

His daughter squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

"I also know," he went on with a mischievous look, "that I don't have to give him the shovel talk, because he's probably had it already from everyone at the precinct."

That made her laugh as they moved down the stairs.

"All right, Castle," said Esposito. "Let's go get this done so we can get back to work."

"Spoken like a true romantic, Detective," said Rick.

"Are you kidding me? Just ask Lanie," Espo snorted as the two men left the room. "I'm romantic, when it counts. When it's you and Beckett and the mob and mayhem? All business, bro. Fortunately for you."

"And I know it." Rick laid a hand briefly on his friend's shoulder, as sentimental as Javi would probably allow at this moment. They met up with Ryan at the foot of the stairs.

"Guys, I just have to say - thanks for having our backs. Today and always," Rick said, shaking each of their hands in turn.

"Just so you know - if this was a botched attempt to ditch Beckett - " Ryan scowled.

"Are you kidding me? After all he went through to get her?" Alexis grimaced. They rounded a corner and exited the house only a few yards from the top of the aisle, where the judge waited, beaming.

A cheer went up as Rick moved to take his place, trying not to limp but grinning from ear to ear. Alexis held onto his arm, Rick thought, not so much to be sure he could stand but to do what she could to keep him safe.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said to her. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad." Her smile was brilliant. "And I love Kate, too. You guys are doing the right thing."

"Good to know. I was hoping my mishap wasn't an omen of some kind."

"Shh. Don't jinx it."

The guests rose to their feet as a single cello began to play, signaling the entrance of the bride. 

Rick had, of course, seen her in her wedding gown, but it wasn't her clothes that made his heart leap and then pound. Her face was radiant, not a shadow of doubt or fear on it, and her pace seemed barely restrained, as if she couldn't wait to reach him.

If his leg hadn't been throbbing with pain, he might have broken ranks and run to her. She caught his eye and her expression took on that air of mischief he saw when she was giving him a hard time just to see him squirm.

"Minx," he muttered. Alexis squeezed his arm and said quietly, "Behave."

"I will if she will."

Jim Beckett shook Rick's hand, then reached for Kate's and gave it to Rick.

"She's my treasure," said Jim in a low voice. "Take care of her, Rick."

"Yes, sir," Rick murmured, resisting the urge to say that it was more likely she'd be taking care of him.

Kate looked from one man to the other, and Rick could see she was amused by this hand-off. Neither of them owned or commanded her, and yet they were united in their belief that they were somehow responsible for her. She said nothing, however, and they turned to face Judge Markaway hand in hand.

Amazingly, Kate remembered the vows they'd written, probably because she'd forgotten all about the people watching. Her hands tightened in Rick's, as if to claim him with both words and actions.

Rick looked down into Kate's eyes, shining with unshed tears, and knew that his own were full as well. He spoke his vows and watched her smile grow even wider. 

"Now, do you, Richard, take Katherine to be your wedded wife, from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health..."

(They'd kept that part, both of them still old-fashioned about a few things.)

"Do you, Katherine, take Richard..."

She looked up at him from under lowered lashes, and Rick thought, oh yeah, she'll take me all right. And I'll love every minute...

"...I pronounce you, Richard and Katherine, spouses for life."

Kate bit her lower lip gently and leaned in. Rick suppressed a wild urge to look at her father for permission, and instead, bent his head, tipped perfectly at an angle to fit his mouth to hers, and shared the most gentle, chaste kiss they'd ever known.

Under cover of the cheers of the guests, Kate leaned her forehead against his and asked, "How's the leg?"

"I can make it down the aisle," he told her. "I think I might need some extended time in a horizontal position, later, though."

She grinned and took his arm.

"Come on, writer man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come. There's still a mystery to be solved!


	5. Chapter 5

They made it down the aisle, at the end of which L.T. and Karpowski took hold of Castle's arms and practically carried him into the living room. Kate trailed after the trio and perched on the sofa next to her husband (she'd have time later to process that word), wondering who had orchestrated the maneuver. Her money was on Alexis.

She giggled and Castle leaned in to ask, "Share the joke?"

"Well, most women would throw a fit if their groom got more attention that they did on their wedding day," she said. "I'm actually kind of relieved that everyone's staring at you instead of me."

"Don't kid yourself. Not everyone's looking at me, sunshine. Not that I have a problem with that."

She gave him a fake glare and he laughed. Then he seemed to catch sight of something and his expression faded into polite geniality.

"Beckett - I don't remember inviting the O'Reillys."

The guests had been kept at bay for the moment; Rick seemed to be looking through the French doors that opened onto the lawn. Kate made out the face of a man, looking toward them over someone's shoulder, but it vanished a second later.

"I sure didn't invite any of them," she told him. "Which one was it?"

"Not sure. One of the guys we met on the Dolan case. He doesn't seem to be trying to hide..."

"Castle!" Ryan came beaming into the room. "Or should I say, Castles?"

Beckett managed to resist rolling her eyes. Rick exchanged fist bumps with Ryan, then said, "We're ready to receive our adoring public - but I wanted to ask, do you know anything about the O'Reilly clan being here?"

"I did see a couple of the O'Reilly boys, but you say they weren't invited?"

Mr. and Mrs. Castle both shook their heads.

"Well," said Ryan slowly. "Vinnie Cardano's in the house, and your friend Sal Tenor and his wife - "

"Who were on the guest list," Castle put in.

" - and oddly, that jewel, um, retired jewel thief, Powell - "

"Not invited," said Rick and Kate in unison.

" - and even more oddly, that guy we questioned in the same case, the bump key guy, what was his name?"

"Evan Mitchell," said Beckett grimly. "We should have invited more cops."

"If they had any brains, they'd be breaking into the loft to get at the wedding gifts," Castle said. "Does my mother know Powell's here? If we can sic her onto him, that's one down."

"You know what? Leave that to the professionals," said Esposito, who had just come in. "I think I might have an idea about your wedding crashers. You two just sit here and look pretty, and no, Castle, I don't mean you."

Beckett's smile returned. Espo and Ryan left the room and Alexis and Lanie came to stand near the couple in a loose receiving line. Friends and family came through to exchange hugs and kisses and to try to get Rick to explain his late arrival.

"No, no," he laughed. "Another time. We'll have another party just to share the stories."

"I can't believe we only invited 297 people," Beckett murmured after a while.

"I can't believe you just said that," Castle replied.

"No, I mean, this line goes on forever. Do we get to eat at some point?"

"I told you, you should have had a snack," said Martha, appearing in the doorway. "Come out, you two, the chef says she's kept your dishes warm long enough, and half the guests have started on theirs."

"I could use some fresh air." Castle went to stand up but immediately swayed and fell back on the couch. "Whoa, head rush. And, ouch."

"Easy does it, kiddo." Martha held out a hand to help him up while Lanie went to recruit some escorts. This time it was Gates' husband and L.T. who flanked Castle as he and his bride moved to settle at the head table.

Kate tried not to gulp the truly delicious meal the caterer had created, but she'd gone all day without anything more than a cup of coffee. She noticed Rick wasn't eating much, spending more time looking around at the guests.

"What is it?" she asked him quietly. He shook his head.

"I don't know. I just have a feeling... not that anyone's in danger... but look around the perimeter, what do you see?"

Kate sipped some wine and let her gaze wander.

"Cops, and wiseguys," she noted. "And the random cat burglar or three. In fact, some of the cops we didn't invite, either. What gives?"

"You know who I don't see - any of the O'Reillys," said Rick. "In spite of the fact that they were here earlier."

"Good riddance, I say," said Vinnie Cardano, coming up to the table. " _Salud_ , you two. Relax. We got everything under control."

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?" Kate snorted.

Vinnie just grinned and leaned in to say sotto voce, "Your family's on the job, Castle."

He wandered off and Rick said, "I can't decide whether I want to know what he means by that."

"I know that look." Kate took his hand. "Writing the story in your head?"

"Yeah, and I know the one on your face, too," he teased. "Working a case in your head. One of the reasons we're made for each other."

"A case..." Kate scanned the surrounding groups of people. "Cases. We know these people from cases we've worked."

"Welll...presumably that's why they were invited. 'Cause we know them."

"No, I mean the crashers. Look around - Powell, Mitchell, the Cardanos. And isn't that Albert Moreno?"

"Don't look now, but I think the Spolanos are represented over by the bar."

Rick and Kate exchanged puzzled glances.

"Family's on the job?" she quoted Vinnie.

"Not _my_ family," Rick breathed. " _The_ Family. La Familia."

"You think it's possible, on such short notice?" Kate said.

"If anyone could, it'd be Vinnie - and Sal," said Rick thoughtfully. "But the cops?"

"You got me there. Unless Gates had them on standby." Her hand tightened on his. "Waiting in the wings. The wings, Castle. I know why some of them look familiar - I've worked with them before." At his frown, she went on, "Not as cops - as actors. Remember the Rear Window birthday surprise?"*

"Mother's acting class? But why?" He shook his head. "Please tell me this whole day hasn't been a product of a concussion and my usual overactive imagination. You are Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle, right? We did get married just hours ago?"

"As long as that's the real Judge Markaway," she chuckled. "You know what - here's Alexis with her best man speech. Let's shelve this discussion and see what unfolds. For now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *"The Lives of Others", season 5, episode 19.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun was setting; the speeches had been brilliant; the music was about to start. Kate was relieved that she wouldn't have to dance in front of all these people after all - dancing with Rick was one of her favorite things, but not for an audience. She leaned over to give him a kiss and he responded readily, murmuring, "How soon can we sneak out of here?"

"You're not sneaking anywhere before we get a bona fide doctor to look at that gash."

"I'm pretty sure there's at least one doctor in the - "

"Dr. Kovacs," said Kate, rising to greet the man approaching their seats. "I'm so glad you could come."

"My wife wouldn't have missed it for the world," said the doctor with a wry smile. "And I admit to some small part in making this event happen. Congratulations."

"That was no small part - it was huge," said Castle, shaking Kovacs' hand. "You saved her life. I can't thank you enough."

"Unfortunately, we have another - much smaller! - favor to ask, if it's not too much trouble," Kate admitted. "On the way here, Rick was in an accident and he has a gash on his leg that needs medical attention..."

"And you want me to have a look at it?"

"If you don't mind. I can always get someone to drive me to Southampton - or back to the city - " said Rick.

"Please," said Kovacs. "If nothing else, my professional ego - and curiosity! - wouldn't allow me to decline. Where can we be private?"

"Here, let me help you out there," said a vaguely familiar voice. It was one of Vinnie's "boys", who took hold of Rick's arm and helped him up. Kate and the doctor fell in behind them as they moved into one of the ground-floor bedrooms - where Sal Tenor and Vinnie Cardano were waiting.

"A bit crowded in here," said Rick warily. "What gives, fellas?"

At a look from Vinnie, Rick's escort left the room and closed the door; Rick sat on the bed, wincing, and looked from Vinnie to Sal and back.

"Who's this?" Sal asked, nodding at Kovacs.

"Sawbones," said the doctor evenly. "Mr. Castle needs my professional opinion. And you are?"

"Friends, and family," said Vinnie. "Don't mind us."

Kate and Rick exchanged a look, then both looked at Kovacs, who shrugged.

"Show me the injury," he said.

After a minute of struggling with his pants leg, Rick gave up and said, "It was hard enough getting these on over the dressing Espo applied. I don't think I can get it up to my knee."

"I'll get some scissors," said Kate, trying to stifle her instinct to stick with him.

"Hell," Rick grumbled. "I'll just have to take 'em off." He looked up at his bride and said, "Maybe you could take Sal and Vinnie out of the room. I'm sure they want to spend some time catching you up."

She caught the hint in his tone and nodded. As was their habit on a case, they would play divide and conquer. Or maybe it was distract and annoy. Either way, she knew she couldn't interrogate Vinnie and watch Rick get stitched up at the same time.

Once she and the two men were in the front lounge area, she wasted no time, but just folded her arms and said, "Spill it."

"I can see what he sees in her," said Sal to Vinnie.

"Do I look like I'm here to chat?" Kate growled.

"She may be wearing a wedding gown, but she's a hundred ten per cent cop, right now," Vinnie warned his cousin. Turning to Kate, he went on, "We've made an arrangement. Kind of a wedding gift to you and Castle."

"We, as in - ?"

"Me and Sal. Along with the rest of the Cardanos and our associates, along with Mickey Dolan's crew, along with - well, shall we say a few other interested parties."

"Interested in what?" She was wishing for an interrogation room with a uniform at the door and all the time in the world - and simultaneously wishing she were on a plane to Maldives. "Don't drag this out, Vinnie."

"Aw, you're ruining my surprise," Vinnie grinned. "Okay, Detective Mrs. Castle, okay. As Tommy would say, keep your girdle on. Sal was on his way to your shindig, running a little late, and he saw where your car had ended up, off the road."

"I didn't witness how it got there," Sal hastened to add. "I did see the guy who torched it, driving away."

"Someone set it on fire?" Kate sat down heavily.

"Yeah, we figure he was trying to destroy evidence. Or maybe he was just pissed off, I don't know. Anyway, I followed him - right to his employers."

"Barbossa's thugs," said Vinnie. "The guy Sal saw, though, he wasn't Barbossa's, he was a soldier for the O'Reillys. Seems the O'Reillys took offense at the way the NYPD helped the Feds with the Dolan case, and the Barbossa guys - all we could get out of them was something about their boss getting handed over to a bunch of bikers. That's not our business.

"What is our business is keeping you and Castle safe, at least from anyone in a family line of business."

Kate stared at them. Finally she asked, "Why?"

Vinnie looked at Sal. Sal looked at Vinnie, shuffling his feet, looking - sheepish?

"Okay, don't tell Castle this," he said at last. "I got a soft spot for that clown. So do a bunch of other guys I know, who shall remain nameless. Vinnie here wants to mend fences. Harold Metzger, used to be Bianchi's _consigliere_ \- he says he owes you a solid."

"Plus, we just don't like the O'Reillys or Barbossa," Vinnie put in. "Outsiders. Plus, Castle never makes us look incompetent. We appreciate that."

"So from now on, anybody wants to mess with you or Castle, they're gonna have to mess with us," said Sal.

"Guys," said Kate. "This is - um - overwhelming - "

"I know, right?" Vinnie beamed.

" - but I can't allow any influence, in my life or work, from, well, the Family. This sounds like you're gonna want something in return, eventually."

Sal sat down next to her and took her hand. "I swear, my hand to God, this is free, gratis, on the house. No strings. Killing cops is against the code, anyway, and so what if Castle isn't a cop, I want to keep reading his books."

She looked over at Vinnie, who raised his own hand and said, "If I'm lying, I'm dying."

* * *

"You gotta be kidding me," said Rick, for the third or fourth time. He was lying on his own bed, his leg stitched and bandaged, half a glass of wine in his hand (all that the doctor would allow).

"I couldn't make this up," his wife told him. Lanie had helped her take off the wedding finery and Kate now sat cross-legged, in a robe, on the bed next to Rick. "And you can't ever, ever so much as hint at this in anything you write. Ever."

"Told you you'd be good at marriage," he pouted. "You've been bossing me since the day we met. Not even a - ?"

"Not even." She tried to scowl at him, gave up, and shifted to lie with her head on his shoulder.

"What about Mother's acting students?"

"I suppose that would be all right," she said cautiously. "She only brought them in to make it look like we had more backup than we really did."

"Clever, you have to admit."

"Runs in the family," Kate pointed out. "Though what that says about our kids..."

"Something you have to tell me, Mrs. Castle?" Rick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not yet." She leaned up over him, set his wine glass down, and let her lips trail down his face to his mouth. He responded enthusiastically, pulling her to climb on top of him, but when he groaned she broke the kiss and asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Do you want a painkiller?"

"More than okay. Fine, in fact." He gave her that delighted, boyish smile and added, "And I think you've got what I need to ease the pain."

"Always," she said as he gathered her into his arms.


End file.
